Get your #infographics on!

I love infographics. Though you could argue they are just another form of presentations (which they are), they also encourage concise writing, something my students always had difficulty doing.

Last year, I worked with our librarians and 9th grade students to great infographics related to issues in the time of To Kill a Mockingbird. Even though we gave students examples of infographics and repeated that the text must be concise and powerful, they still copied and pasted huge chunks of text. So, we had to do it again, and again, and again.

The point: this was clearly a skill students were missing. In the era of attention-getters and short text, it's a critical skill.

So, I'm compile a presentation of infographics resources to meet the needs of students and teachers alike. See something I'm missing? Let me know, please!

You can check out more resources at fennovation.org.

All of your #coding resources in one place!

Three years ago, I started my first coding club. As a former English teacher, coding is not in my background. In fact, math was my most difficult subject followed by Science. However, I felt drawn to coding. It felt logical (nice pun, eh?).

I jumped on the coding bandwagon before there was an Hour of Code. And, in some ways, I am skeptical of everyone doing computer science or coding for the sake of it. They needs to be reason behind it and you need to understand that reason. For me, that reason is because it is a language. It's the backbone of so much of what we do today. Do we need to understand the inner-workings of a car? No. We do not need to understand computer science and coding because they are the backbone. Rather, we can learn them because they are a natural method of teaching logic - something that can be hard to learn otherwise.

And, the benefit? Perhaps, we produce students who take an interest in coding and can use it to transform modern technologies. Isn't that what we are doing now? Students are able to change the world. It's no longer something just for adults.

Coding equals the playing field.

With that in mind, I've been compiling a list of resources for educators of any background to use for computer science.

Check them out here, below, or on fennovation.org!

A makeover to Google Sites...

Wishful thinking, right? Well, while we wait for Google Sites to get a makeover, I gave my own Google Sites - Volume 1 presentation a makeover. Check on fennovation.org for the advanced edition as well as other Sites resources.

Despite the rumors, you really can make a beautiful Site. Check it out!

#YourEduStory: A letter to your students

This week's topic: Write a letter to your students. What do you hope for them?

Currently, most of my students are teachers. However, I do have a 9th grade advisory, 9th grade lunch table, and I work with middle school and upper school tech clubs. So, I will split this letter in two: one for 9th graders and the other for established teachers. 

A letter to 9th graders:

Last week, I spent three days camped out in the wilderness with 130 of you. You never slowed down. Even when I thought it humanly impossible, you kept moving, fidgeting, talking, screaming, singing, running. You are bounds of energy. You mutli-task like there's no tomorrow. For the first time in my life, I legitimately felt old. 

We complain about your immaturity, your endless chatter, and your constant fidgeting, but that is what gives you life. With that, you are excited about life. Being "old," I see others get burnt out. They stop fidgeting, they stop chattering, they stop being excited. They stop learning. 

Never stop learning. You're never too cool to learn. Someone else always knows something you don't. Surround yourself with others who build you up, but remember that you alone are enough. Others will not provide you happiness. Objects will not provide you happiness. Only you can determine whether you are happy. Don't search your whole life for happiness only to find (or not) that it's within you. 

You only have one life. Until recently, I heard this and I understood it, but it didn't relate to me. It was like an old battle to me. I know it happened and it was horrific, but I could not relate to it. I get it now. You only have one life. You will never be a 14-15 year old again. Enjoy it, but don't make it damage who you are as a 30, 40, 50, 70, 100 year-old.

Remember: live like it's no one's business. Learn. Learn as much as you can - not because someone told you to, but because you want to. You decide your happiness. You are enough. So, find what's inside you that makes you happy.

A letter to teachers:

Don't be afraid to not know it all. We all say we are okay with this, but in practice, this is often far from the truth. We chastise the use of technology often because we don't understand it. And, when we don't understand it, we deem it hard to manage. And, if we can't manage it, we don't want it. 

But, you need to stop managing everything. Part of this is due to standards dictated by those higher than us. We can't change policy overnight, but we can start. 

Be the student you want to have. Keep learning. Never stop. When you feel burned out, seek help or reflect on your profession. You need to be happy too.

_______________________________________________

Though short, I think both letters can be applied to the same audience. We need to encourage life-long learning and happiness. 

What would you say to your learners?

#YourEduStory: 21st century instruction

Last week's topic: In 100 words or less, describe the most important characteristics of 21st century instruction.

It is funny we still use the term "21st century" 15+ years into the century. I say this not to pick on the topic, but to show that we use because some are still teaching as if it were the 20th century...or 19th century in some cases. We would not need to distinguish if we were all teaching in the same century. 

Though harsh as it may be, it is crucial to note these observations. 

I recently went on a retreat with 130 ninth grade students to an area with no cell reception and no Internet connections. We told our students no cell phones, tablets, or computers were allowed. This is not something we would have told students in the 20th century or before. However, we have to distinguish now. Our students are different now. But, in many ways, we treat them the same. We judge them for doing things different. We dislike that they are not learning the same things as we did. We think they are being corrupted by the woes of technology. We don't like that they share out personal information to others. We don't like that they multi-task. 

We are our parents. 

I had another epiphany about these "21st century" children and their learning. If they were reading books as much as they are on their phones, would we have a problem with it? Both are isolationist activities. If we only have a problem with the technology, why do we dislike it so much? Is it just because of the tech? I hear my parents and others question why we don't teach some of the skills they learned as children. To that point, I will ask - why don't we also revolve around a farmer's schedule? We don't because the economy and lifestyles no longer call for it. How often will a student need to use some of the skills we are so greatly offended by that are not being taught? We get upset when we say "they can just look it up" as if looking something up is easy or a cop-out. So, we don't teach students how to search. Instead, we continue to teach them skills that are irrelevant rather than the most important of them all: searching. 

Though most teachers I talk to agree that students do not know how to search, I still see those same teachers asking students to research without providing any instruction. This is where we go wrong. We say, well kids today aren't as competent. They don't know some of the basic skills and they don't find factual information. Is it the students' fault they can't find the information or is it our fault for not teaching it?

It's easy to criticize each new generation as not being as strong, as smart, as fast, etc. as your generation. It's even more easy to blame it on technology. But, are our students' failures and successes entirely due to tech or to the fact that they are a new generation?

A teacher reminded me a few days ago that an average teenage brain has 2 million brain cells where an average 25 year old only has one million brain cells. This means their brains are firing twice as fast as a 25 year old. It means they are equipped to multi-task. They are wired to multi-task. We, however, are not. We must separate our learning styles from that of our students. When we do that, we can begin to teach students how to multi-task and search responsibly. 

We cannot teach responsibility until we accept that we are no longer in the 20th century, the 19th century, or any other than the 21st century. 

We need to accept while students need to learn responsibility. But, aren't those they same skills we've always needed to learn? Yes. 

We need to apply them to a world filled with tech, however.  

What do you think is essential in instruction?

Let's Get Chromified Updates!

Chrome continues to amaze me with its apps and extesnsions. The ceiling is nearly limitless with the Web Store. Because of this, I have organized apps and extensions I either swear by or others have recommended to me into the Let's Get Chromified Presentation as well as into a directory (made with Awesome Tables).

Today's updates:

• Share to Classroom by Google Classroom
• Chrome Visual History
• Tab design for new tabs (I am using Earth View right now, but I like to use new ones every few months)

Read all about them in the Let's Get Chromified Presentation or Chrome Directory. 

Enjoy!

Digital Citizenship revamped #digcit

As I work to compile a digital citizenship task force of students and teachers, I reflect on some of my favorite digital citizenship/literacy resources available to use for FREE.

Start working on your digital citizenship plans with these amazing resources and ideas. Find more of my favorite tips and tricks on fennovation.org.

Check out:

• The Google Yourself Challenge infographic!
• #NoHacked